stuck inside ; phan [ completed ]

two

❝ there was a flower in his heart,

it just needed more room to bloom.

when he let it free,

he showed the world

that sometimes the most beautiful things

can grow in the darkest places

without the need of light. ❞

╰☆╮

when dan howell woke up the next morning, things had changed drastically. the shelves in his room had fallen, books and dvd cases scattered across the ground. the clock that was previously mounted on his wall was now hanging precariously, the exposed wires straining under the clock's weight. dan was utterly confused, and he threw open his sheets. he coughed, the sheets letting up dust and debris. the only thing that could've caused this was an earth quake of some sort, but he surely would've woken up if that was the case. he tidied up his room, stacking the contents of his shelves on the ground. he cut his clock loose. there was no point in having it anyhow; he had no where to be, and no schedule. he set the clock and the shelves under his bed. he probably wouldn't be putting either thing back up any time soon. he surveyed his work and glanced to the wall. the paint had been scratched up and there used to be a hole where the clock would normally be, but now it looked as if there had never been anything on the walls.

when he walked into his bathroom, everything seemed orderly. the shower had finally stopped leaking, much to dan's relief. he took a quick shower, letting the hot water wash away any worries he had. he was growing used to the frequent changes and was learning how to adapt. after changing into some sweatpants and a black t-shirt, he went into the kitchen for breakfast. he was pleasently surprised to see the fridge was restocked, which wasn't the case lately. he hummed happily to some tune stuck in his head and made up a bagel. he spread cream cheese on it and went to the living room. there was a box on the floor with a note on the top.

dear dan,

hello! sorry i couldn't come in contact with you until now. it's phil, and i've been tying to help you in any way i can. i hope you appreciate my efforts. i'm trying very hard to keep my hope, and i do hope you make it. i'd like to keep you around. i'm not one hundred percent sure if this will make it to you, but if it does, i hope you can wake up soon. i won't forget about you, i promise. i miss you love. i'd like to hear your voice from somewhere besides a screen.

yours truly, phil

phil. the name bounced around his thoughts and jumbled them. so that was the name of his secret benefactor. but what did he mean by keep him around? he seemed to be the lonely one. he was the one left alone, day after day. and it wasn't like he had been upset about it, not until this phil person decided to write him. he could feel tears rolling down his face, his lips becoming salty and chapped. all of sudden this phil guy shows up and makes dan feel the things he'd only read out; he felt angry beyond belief - it seemed as though this person was intentionally playing with his feelings. he had never come into contact with dan before, and dan wished it had stayed that way. at the same time though, he would've lived in the dark if it weren't for this person, and he probably wouldn't live a life such as his. but did he want to live a life of solitude? why was he separated from all other living things? he didn't understand the whirl wind of feelings coming over him. was he forced to live this way? was there no other way?

dan didn't understand. he thought he was the only one in this universe. this new information was so over whelming he forgot to open the box. he grabbed a knife from the kitchen to cut the top of the box open. inside, there were man things. the first layer was a red t-shirt that read shs on the front. he didn't know what shs meant, and didn't know whether or not to throw the t-shirt in the wash. he stuck his face to the shirt and inhaled. it smelled like home, and if there was a better word for the scent, dan didn't know what it was. next in the box was a small lion plushie. he clutched the small item in his hand, smiling down at it. it felt as though the little lion was linked to memories his mind just couldn't reach, but he suspected they were all good ones, judging by the euphoria he felt.

after placing the plushie on the couch, he looked further into the box and found a box set of steven king novels. he had read one or two of steven king's books, and they were pretty good, so he was pleased by this. the last two things thing left in the box were a pack of sharpies and some sort of squishy, elongated mushroom. he was puzzled by the last item - why would anyone need a long squishy mushroom? - but he was still happy with the contents of the box. he was happily dancing around his kitchen when he looked outside and finally noticed; it had stopped snowing.

╰☆╮

"doctor, do you think the box will get to him?"

"according to our research, mr. lester, it will get to him just fine."

the doctor sent phil a tired smile.

phil paused before speaking up.

"how long does he have before.. you know.."

the doctor frowned.

"we aren't sure. we may keep him for six months, maybe three. it's unsure."

phil gulped and nodded, heading back to the room.

(a/n)

word count ; 966

ohhh mystery!